9 – It Actually Came True As I Hoped
Taohua was fastening the ties of her undergarment when Qin Feng suddenly pushed the door open and entered.
Remembering that half her shoulder was still exposed, she immediately burrowed under the quilt.
Qin Feng saw the young girl—oh no, she should be called a young wife now.
Seeing his little wife looking like a startled rabbit, a hint of amusement unconsciously crept into his dark eyes.
He looked at Taohua, but she buried her face in the pillow, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.
Soon, however, Taohua felt a shadow envelop her, followed by a rough, large hand resting on her shoulder.
The palm of that hand was slightly calloused, having kneaded and pressed against her body just last night.
Could he be…
But it was broad daylight now.
Taohua whispered softly, “Brother Qin, you…”
“Does it still hurt?” Qin Feng gently stroked the bruise on Taohua’s shoulder. “I didn’t control my strength well last night, and it bruised. Does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt.” In fact, Taohua hadn’t even noticed the bruise on her shoulder.
She hadn’t even felt the pain Xiao Lan said women experience the first time.
She only felt that, in that moment, she had completely lost control, entirely at the mercy of her Brother Qin.
“Brother Qin, I need to get dressed. Could you step out for now? Please close the door on your way out.”
Qin Feng knew Taohua was feeling shy, so he stood up and left.
If he stayed any longer, he feared his little wife might not be able to get out of bed today.
…
Having chicken soup for the first meal of the day was a treat Taohua had never experienced in all these years.
She was delighted but also a little surprised. “What’s the occasion today? How come there’s chicken soup in the morning? Where did the chicken come from?”
“Caught it in a trap. It’s to nourish you—you’re too thin,” the man said, placing another chicken leg in Taohua’s bowl.
In the past, Taohua would never have accepted this second chicken leg.
A chicken only had two legs, and since the man of the house still had to work, she couldn’t possibly take both for herself.
But now, she didn’t dwell on that.
Her mind was filled with the man’s words: “You’re too thin.”
He had said the same thing last night.
He said she was too thin, her waist too slender, as if it might break with a single impact.
Thinking of this, Taohua’s face grew warm again.
But Qin Feng didn’t notice anything amiss; he was already thinking about the day’s plans.
“The trap in the mountains is broken. I’ll go to the back hill later to cut some bamboo. There probably won’t be many clear days left, so you can stay home and take the animal pelts from the storage room to sun them. In a couple of days, we’ll take them to town to sell and buy some New Year supplies for the house.”
“Alright.” Taohua hadn’t forgotten the promise she made to Qin Feng back at the Chen family.
She had said that if Qin Feng could come up with ten taels of silver to marry her, she would find a way to earn that money back after marrying him.
Although she hadn’t hunted those animal pelts herself, she could at least help with small tasks.
The couple reached an agreement, and after breakfast, they each went about their work.
The pelts in the storage room had long been tanned by Qin Feng, but having been piled together for so long, they inevitably carried a slight odor.
Taohua now took them all out, spreading them one by one on the large stones in the yard to sun.
Just as she was busy with this, the courtyard gate suddenly rattled with loud knocking.
Taohua’s first thought was that Qin Feng had returned.
Just as she happily stood up to open the door for him, she suddenly remembered that Qin Feng had left through the backyard earlier.
When he built this bamboo fence, he had installed a door at both the front and the back. Even if he were returning home now, he should be coming through the back door.
Besides, the knocking didn’t sound quite right—it was so loud it was almost frightening.
Afraid of putting herself at a disadvantage, Taohua didn’t dare respond immediately. Instead, she tiptoed over quietly.
Peering through the gaps in the bamboo door, Taohua caught sight of two men.
If she wasn’t mistaken, they were Granny Wang’s two sons.
But why on earth would Granny Wang’s two sons come to her house, and why did they look so menacing?
Taohua’s instincts told her something was wrong. She turned around, went to the storage room, and grabbed a carrying pole to hold in her hands.
By now, Wang Da and Wang Er had grown impatient from knocking.
One of the brothers had already started shouting, “Chen Taohua, open the door! I know you’re in there—I saw you peeking through the crack just now! If you don’t come out, don’t blame us for breaking in!”
Taohua thought they might be bluffing and still didn’t make a sound.
At the same time, she knew she was no match for these two brothers. After thinking it over, she realized her only option was to find her man.
But before she could run more than five steps, the courtyard gate was kicked open by the two brothers outside.
“Stop right there! I see you, Chen Taohua! Let’s see where you think you’re running!” Wang Da reached out to grab Taohua, while Wang Er closed in from the other direction.
Though Taohua didn’t know why these two brothers had come, seeing their malicious intent, she couldn’t afford to hesitate.
She closed her eyes and swung the carrying pole wildly.
Her chaotic, unskilled movements actually threw Wang Da and Wang Er off balance first.
Wang Da accidentally took a hit on his arm and howled in pain, “Second Brother, this little Taohua is fierce! Go around and pin her down from behind!”
Taohua wasn’t deaf. Hearing Wang Da’s words, she spun around, swinging the pole in circles.
Whether it was because the Wang brothers had no eyes or because Taohua was particularly lucky today, every swing seemed to land on them.
In no time, several bumps had swollen on Wang Da and Wang Er’s foreheads.
The two brothers yelped in pain. Seeing them scurrying around with their heads covered, Taohua couldn’t help but make a wish in her heart.
She hoped the two brothers would crash into each other, trip, and fall to the ground, unable to get up. That way, she could go over and give them a good beating.
Once she had beaten them until they couldn’t move, she would go to the back mountain to fetch her man and then drag them to the Village Chief to settle the matter.
Of course, this was just a wish Taohua made in her heart.
But unexpectedly, her wish came true almost immediately!
While dodging the pole, Wang Da and Wang Er suddenly collided with each other. Not only that, they twisted their ankles, and Taohua even heard the crack of their bones grinding.
Now that the two couldn’t get up, Taohua didn’t hold back. She swung the pole and started beating them.
Only after she had beaten them into submission did Taohua turn and head toward the back mountain.
She thought to herself that she had to run fast, hoping to find Brother Qin as soon as possible.
But as soon as she looked up, Qin Feng appeared before her, axe in hand.
Seeing the man who suddenly appeared before her, Taohua was utterly stunned. She felt like today was truly a case of her wishes coming true—whatever she thought of seemed to appear!
Seeing Taohua’s flustered and surprised expression, Qin Feng immediately furrowed his brows. “What happened?”